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Realistic virtual puppy game showing repetitive tasks needed, as well as the fun parts of ownership.

I believe that this game is perfect for children (and big kids) who think they want a puppy but whose resolution or ability to keep up with their pet's needs and demands is in doubt.

== 5 Years & Still Being Enjoyed by 3 Generations of My Family ==

This game has been a firm favourite in my family for five years now. As one player eventually moves on to other games, new family members have taken over the care of the puppies in this potentially addictive game.

Christmas brings out the Big Kid in my young adult daughter, and she bought me my first games console (the Nintendo DS - Double Screen) which came with Nintendogs.

Although I believe this was primarily designed as a single player game, I got her and my husband to play along with me by each of us "adopting" different breeds of puppy from the many available. The maximum amount of puppies that can be in your virtual home at the same time is 3, but a few more can be lodged at the hotel if you have time to interact with more.

After a year, a grand-niece also became involved in the game, which was the start of three generations of my family appreciating this.

== The Game ==

To be a successful owner who gets the love and affection of their puppy (ies), who then can go on to earn their owners a lot of money in competitions can be very time consuming. I found that it can also feel rewarding, especially in terms of the companionship the puppies can bring, if you let your imagination flow with the game.

At the time this game was bought for me, long term health problems were sapping my stamina, so looking after a real life pet was out of the question. These puppies, which could be looked after from my armchair, were a comfort to me during this difficult time though.

Top priority is to gain and keep the love of your puppy by regularly feeding, watering, grooming, walking and playing with them. Once the affection is there, the puppy will become trainable in obedience, agility and disc catching.

Owners achieve the goals by using the stylus or the voice recognition facility.

The puppies trained by me found the disc (frisbee) catching the easiest competition, but other trainers in my family mastered other parts of the game more easily.

Individual puppies need to be trained by one owner only, to get the best results. This especially applies to the obedience part of the game, which relies on voice recognition. It is also best to keep the commands simple, talk clearly and always use the same inclination in the voice when repeating words. If your puppy does get confused by poor training, you can use the "forget" function for commands and start from scratch. I found this facility very helpful.

There is also a Wireless Mode that will allow owners to interact with other DSs with Nintendogs running.

== Conclusion ==

I think this is a great family game for all ages, who can have the fun of looking after this virtual pet in the comfort of whatever location they choose - provided their commitments allow them the time.

The more you care for your pet, the more affection will be returned to you, which is the most rewarding part of the game for me. However, train your puppy to win competitions and you will be rewarded with lots of virtual money, and extra parts of the game will be unlocked for you to enjoy.

Like in real life, some of your puppy's needs are simple and repetitive (like cleaning, feeding and walking), while other aspects of the game need more demanding skills (like competing in competitions).

For me, the game fulfilled an emotional need, as well as giving my brain gentle exercise, when my stamina was at its lowest due to ill health.

There is no obvious end to the game, as the puppies have eternal youth, so you don't have the grieving for a much loved pet. This was the only glaringly unrealistic part of the game for me. Therefore, the end seems to be when the owner gets bored with the repetitive tasks associated with looking after a puppy. In my family boredom set in after only a few days for some, but a few months for others. It has been played with a lot more in the winter when there is less enjoyment to be had from being physically active outside.

Although I could have access to other computer games that family and friends own, this is the only one that has held my interest for more than a day. My usual preference would be to read, watch TV or interact with friends on the internet, if I wanted entertainment while physically resting.

== RECOMMENDATION ==

Although, in general, I am not a fan of computer games, I loved playing this, as the graphics made it easy for my imagination to believe that these puppies were real. I especially liked the way the love for your dogs is returned. This may not happen immediately, but persevere and you will be rewarded.

I especially HIGHLY RECOMMEND this game to those would LIKE A PUPPY FRIEND, but whose lifestyle prevents them from doing so.

It should also give an inkling of the commitment involved to those who may otherwise buy a pet on impulse, without fully considering the boring repetitive tasks needed in caring, which are necessary to get the most rewards from ownership.

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A LOT OF FUN!

'Nintendogs Miniature Dachsund and Friends' is a popular dog game for the Nintendo DS. It was released in October 2005. Other games in the range are: 'Nintendogs Chihuahua and Friends', 'Nintendogs Dalmation and Friends' and 'Nintendogs Labrador Retriever and Friends'.

This game was bought for one of my children at Christmas 2008 and has been a useful companion on i.e. long car journeys. Sometimes, however, I think these type of amusements can take up too much of their time, if not supervised.

The game is quite difficult at first as you don't have any 'money' so are limited on the supplies you can buy. After you have won contests and bought a few more dogs, the game comes into its own! Just buying a dog is exciting and enjoyable as you have to make important decisions like it's name and breed. At home you can dress your dog with accessories like a pair of glasses or a colourful collar!

The begin the game you have to purchase a puppy. In this particular version, the dogs available at the start are: Miniature Dachshund, Golden Retriever, Beagle, Pug, Siberian Husky and Shih Tzu. Each version of Nintendogs comes with six breeds to choose from and others can be unlocked by connecting with friends or by finding rare items. You then have to teach the dog its name. This can be annoying and take quite a long time as you have to speak into the microphone using the same pitch each try. After it has learnt its name you can feed it, take it for walks, clean it, enter contests or just relax at your house!

Walking your dog is interesting as you can find new items that unlock a breed of dog like a Dalmation!

There are three types of contest for your puppy to enter: Disc, Agility and Obedience. Contests can be entered at any time of day, however, each dog can only enter a maximum of three per day. Each contest has different classes: Beginner, Open, Expert, Master and finally Champion.

DISC: You can practice for a disc contest while in the park or at home. Discs can be found while out for a walk or bought at the shop. The disc last used before a contest is used in the contest. The main goal is to earn as many points as you can in the given time of a minute. Using the touch screen to throw the disc, your dog will run after it and catch it in one of the coloured zones. The further your dog gets along the field before it catches the disc, the more points you earn and the higher chance of winning there is. If your dog misses the disc, no points are earned.

AGILITY: To be legible to enter an agility trial you have to take your chosen dog to the gymnasium to practice. You do this when you are on your walk. The main goal of the agility trial is to successfully complete each obstacle as quickly as possible. Each time your puppy does not successfully complete an obstacle, five points are deducted (known as a fault) so the fewer negative points earned the better! No points are earned with this activity, but points are lost for mistakes. The obstacles are: Hurdles, Tunnels, Seesaws an Slalom Poles. For this activity, you guide your dog round the course with the touch screen, tapping the obstacle you want it to complete next. There is a set order that obstacles must be completed in, and points are deducted if the wrong route is taken!

OBEDIENCE: I would say that obedience trials are the hardest to do. Beforehand, you have to teach your dog the necessary tricks, according to the difficulty of the obedience trial. Teaching your dog tricks can become tedious. As with naming your first dog, and any you later purchase, teaching it a trick can take a while. You have to, once again, keep the pitch you speak in the same or the dog can get confused. Occasionally, the dog may also get confused with commands like 'Sit' and 'Lie down', especially if you change 'Sit' into 'Sit down'. The trial is judged and at the end you are given an average. If the average is high enough, you will earn a place in the next class of obedience trial.

The game continues even when your DS is turned off. By this I mean your dogs become dirty, hungry and thirsty so you really need to check up on them regularly to make sure they are well.

With Nintendogs games, you can connect with friends who also have the game. Doing this can unlock their breed of dog, and is called 'bark mode'.If your friend has another version of the Nintendogs games, they won't have the same starting dogs as you. So the game isn't just a copy with a different name. The game never ends as you can keep earning money and winning contests but there is a maximum number of dogs you can own.

I would reccomend this game for people who like dogs or animals and as a first time DS game.

This game has a rating of age 3+. I think it is probably best suited for age 7+.

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A cute game that entertains for a little while

After receiving a Nintendo DS as a gift last Christmas, one of the games I was most keen to buy was Nintendogs, as I love the idea of looking after a virtual pet. There are 4 versions available: Dachshund & Friends, Labrador & Friends, Chihuahua & Friends, and Dalmation & Friends. Each version starts off with 6 different dog species to adopt, however if you play the game for long enough you can unlock all the different species whichever version you have. You might get fed up of the game before unlocking any though so it's best to choose the version which starts off with your favourite species.

I chose Dachshund & Friends as I wanted to be able to adopt either a Miniature Dachshund or a Shih Tsu. These species are available from the start in this version, along with Golden Retriever, Beagle, Pug & Siberian Husky.

The main idea of the game is that you adopt a virtual puppy, care for it & train it. Your pet lives in your virtual house (you only get to see one room), & you can have up to 3 different puppies living there at a time. You can also keep up to 5 others in the 'hotel' if adopting 3 puppies just isn't enough for you.

When you first start the game, you go to the adoption centre & look through all the different puppies. Most species seem to be available in at least 2 different colour variations (that is, realistic coat colours for the breed, not things like green or purple!), & you can choose a male or female puppy. (In Nintendogs, your pet never grows up, it stays a puppy forever.) The animations of the dogs are quite realistic & of course they all look very cute. Next you have to choose a name for your puppy, & you have to say the name into the microphone a few times so your puppy can 'learn' it. After this, the puppy should come when you call its name.

The next stage is to start teaching your puppy voice commands. You can touch the touch screen in a certain way to make the puppy perform an action (such as sitting, lying down or rolling over) - the instruction manual tells you how to do the basic ones, & the rest you have to find out by yourself! Once the puppy performs the action, you say the voice command into the microphone (e.g. "Sit!"), & again after a few repetitions the puppy will learn it & sit on command. Puppies can learn up to 3 commands in a day, & there is a maximum number of commands they can remember altogether (you can tell the puppy to 'forget' a command if you want to make room for a new one).

The use of the microphone in this way is a good way of making use of the features of the DS, although unsurprisingly the voice recognition doesn't always work. The most important point is to say the commands slowly & clearly. You also have to say each command in the exact same way every time, so you need to say them in a way that you can remember. For example, I said "sit" quickly & in quite a high pitch, whilst for lie down I said "down" more slowly & in a lower pitch. This makes the commands easier to remember & also easier for the game to differentiate between them. It seems to recognise 1- or 2-syllable commands best. I always had trouble with "roll over". Sometimes a puppy will 'forget' a command if you keep trying to say something & the game doesn't recognise it, so you have to teach it all over again. I got quite frustrated with trying to teach commands before long & only ever taught about 4 different ones.

Another important point is that you sound quite silly when speaking the commands, especially if you're saying them in different pitches & so on! Most people would only feel comfortable playing this game when completely alone in the house! (This goes for adults at least, most children would perhaps be less embarrassed.) There's also the fact that the game generally encourages you to see your pet as a real puppy so you find yourself talking to it & saying things like "good boy" even when they won't be recognised by the game! Definitely not one to play on public transport.

Whilst in your virtual house, you can also stroke your puppy using the stylus, play with toys (e.g. throw a ball using the stylus & the puppy will fetch it), feed & groom your dog (e.g. use the stylus to run a brush over its coat). Food, toys & grooming items are available from various shops that you can visit in the game.

You can also take your puppy out of the house on a walk. (Only one puppy can go at a time.) You choose your route, deciding whether to stop at a shop, or in the park, or in the training area. The older a puppy gets, the further it can go on a walk. The shops you visit on a walk can be cheaper or sell different items to the ones available to you whilst you're in the house. You can also meet other dog owners on a walk, which gives your puppy a chance to socialise & you get to see different breeds of puppy. Your puppy can also find items along the way, such as clothing accessories for them to wear. Some items unlock other dog species at the adoption centre. You can choose to keep items or sell them to get money to buy other things for your dog.

One of the main parts of the game is competing in competitions with your puppy. These are obedience, frisbee & agility. For the obedience competition, you train your puppy in your home as discussed above, then once you feel they're good enough you enter the competition. There are various levels to progress through & the rules are quite strict! If you pass a level, you get a trophy & some prize money.

You practise for the frisbee competition whilst visiting a park on a walk. I never got very good at this & found it was quite complicated to throw the frisbee using the stylus so that the dog could catch it.

My favourite was the agility competition & you can visit a training area for this whilst on a walk. You use the stylus to encourage the dog to go around the agility course. The first competition level is reasonably easy to pass but then gets more challenging. It's quite fun competing against other dogs in this competition & hoping your puppy will beat them!

There's also a multiplayer mode where you can wirelessly connect with someone else who has the game & your puppies can play together. I've never tried this but it sounds like something children would enjoy doing with their friends.

The main problem with this game is that is gets quite repetitive after a while. You need to play it regularly otherwise your puppy will become sad, hungry & dirty, & may even run away (I think they always come back eventually). This quickly starts to feel like a chore & it would be better if the game was not affected by your not playing for a while. Training your puppy quickly becomes frustrating, and feeding, grooming & so on gets quite boring as it basically just consists of clicking on a food bowl, for example. The walks become extremely boring as you just keep walking past the same backgrounds & meeting the same people, & it can be quite time-consuming to just sit there watching the puppy walk & not being able to interact with the game.

I'm sure this game would be appreciated by children as a gift, however be aware that they may get bored of it before long. Most adults will probably get bored of it quite quickly. It could be a good way of teaching children (or even adults!) that a real puppy is quite difficult & time-consuming to look after!

Despite having been released a while ago (October 2005), due to its popularity Nintendogs is usually more expensive than other older games. The RRP is £29.99, & the current price on Amazon is £24.99. I got it for around £20 from Amazon earlier this year.

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see review

The game starts at a kennel, where you must choose and then buy your puppy. Each puppy has a brief description on their personality, so you can decide which you'd like to look after.

Then you take your new puppy home, where you must give it a name. You do this by speaking into the microphone on the ds.You do have to repeat the name a few times for the dog to recognize it's own name.A helpful tip is to pick a simple name of maybe four or five letters, as anything to long and complicated sounding will be difficult to get the dog to learn and you may end up spending half the day trying to teach it.

You use the stylus to pet and stroke your puppy and you have to be gentle with it as you could make your puppy grumpy if your to rough.

If you want to call your puppy to you, just call it's name into the microphone and it should come over to you.The only downside is if you don't say the name in exactly the same way as you did at the beginning it won't recognize the name and therfore won't come to you.

You must feed your puppy and also bathe and brush it to keep it clean.You can buy food and other supplies at the shop, if you go to the main menu you'll be given a selection of different things that you can do, if you tap on shop they'll be another menu with shop on it again, tap on this and then you can buy food and drink, shampoo and other toys for your puppy.

One of the features that I like about this game is taking my dogs for a walk, you do this by selecting walk in the main menu. Then a map will appear on the screen and you will have to select a route to use.On your walk you and your puppy will meet other dogs and their owners and they'll give you all kinds of advice in the raising of your puppy.Your puppy will also find presents for you on the walk, which you can sell at the second hand shop to make money for your puppy.(Main menu, shop, second-hand shop.)

You will also be able to train your puppy and then go on to enter them into competitions, to make money for your puppy.The three contests to choose from are: *Disc competition *Agility trial *Obedience trial

This is a fantastic game and you'll grow attached to your puppy, or puppies as you can buy up to eight puppies.I currently have three and I adore them. I also think there easier to look after than real life pets.

This game comes in four different types: *Dachsmund and friends *Chihuahua and friends *Labrador and friends *Dalmation and friends

With the Dachsmund game the dogs you get are- Golden retriever, Beagle, Pug, Siberian husky and Shih tzu.

With the Chihuahua game you get- Cavaliar king Charles spaniel, Yorkshire terrier, German shepherd sheep dog, Shetland sheep dog and Boxer.

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great game :)

Nintendogs is an interactice game for the nintendio ds that is a step up from the cyber pet that some of you may remeber from a few years back.. ahem.

I was hooked as a kid on my cyber pets, feeding them walking them and helping them live their little two dimensional lives, so when i spotted this game i knew i would love it even though now I'm supposed to be an adult!!There is much more variety than a cyber pet though. You can teach your pup tricks. in the same way you wouls a real dog, through repetition and reward. Tricks range from the standard "sit" and "shake" to the advanced "backflip" and "breakdance".

You can Take a walk through the towen to the park, and pick up goodies or make friends and enemies along the way. People passing will shout at you for not picking up your doggies poo, see theres even a moral in there too!

Once at the park, watch as your pup runs around in delight with his friends, or toss a Frisbee and watch the pups tussle over it. There is also an agilty practicing gym so you can train your puppy to preform for the agility trials. These skills include jumping through hoop, walking along a see saw and even running between tightly spaced poles!

Either purchase or pick up accessories on your walks, and dress up your pup in accessories such as bows, hats, flowers, and afro wigs. Puupies look so cute in a hat! I wouldn't dare do this to my own dog though!

The game can get a bit repetitive after a while, and the dog must be looked after everyday or else he will become unclean and miserable. You must also use your doggy to win money at the agilty and obdeience competitions in order to buy food and drink for the pup.

the Ds also has speach recognition which can be quite fun to call your dog by its name and watch it run over. however i wouldn't advise this on a busy bus or train ;-)

there is also the possibilty to connect to other Ds's in bark mode to chat to other puppies, although where i live i have never been able to find anyone online anywhere near me.

Overall this game is great, the DS is used to its full with all the features the game has to offer. The game does get repetitive after a while, so not one for those that bore easily!

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Good for anyone who wants to experience owning their own puppy!

Nintendogs :: To buy or Not to Buy?

Dont you wish you could have your own puppy?Well now you can, on your own portable Nintendo DS.

Made especially by Nintendo, comes along Nintendogs. An adorable, friendly and cute game for all dog lovers! The Nintendo has many unique features which makes this portable gaming station great and enjoyable. Nintendo brought out three editions of Nintendogs which give you a variety of breeds of dogs which you can teach and bring up as your own real dog!

Each puppy has their own personalities and disfunctions. They can be offered as shy, selfish, stubborn, kind and more. They describe what each dog has its own temperant, this is used so when you are training your puppy, they will be very good and fast at learning new skills, or unlike stubborn puppies, it will take them longer to learn tricks.

I will give a short brief on the game from my own personal experiences.When you begin the game, you are introduced to a kennel where you can choose from six variety of dogs, (depending on which edition you have.)These editions are:Daschung & FriendsChiuaua & FriendsDalmation & FriendsLabrador & FriendsAll complete with breeds such as these above, shiba inu, toy poodle, boxer, german shepherd and many more. I chose Dashund & friends because i bought the pink Nintendo DS which gives you a combination with the game.

So i was excited to play and after selecting my puppy, you are told some instructions on how to keep your puppy trained and informed. This is used by the genius of the microphone which is attached to the Nintendo DS.You are able to tell them tricks and their names and what to do just by your own sound of your voice. The magic to this is that the puppy will only respond to your OWN sound of your voice.

You can do many other things with Nintendogs with the tricks, but you can also take them for long and short walks where you can find items laying on the floor, if you are lucky to spot them. Your puppy with immediately give you a present which signifies you have got a gift! These gifts can be very rare or just repreated gifts. Ive managed to get plenty of balls and frisbee's!You can also take them to training centres, parks and meet other dogs!

You can also take part in compettitions and go shopping to buy food, water and items for your beloved pet. Compettitions are the way to gain you money to do this, but you can only enter three times a day!

A few downsides to the Nintendogs game are that at first it may be very addictive and enjoyable, but after a while it will become very dull and exhausting having to train your puppy, especially when they could be stubborn and not respond. There are no online wifi to the game which means you cant meet and greet other players on the game, the only dog and owners are the players installed on the game by the makers. But you can meet your friend if you are near to them and they also own the game. You also only greet in the same park which is quite boring.Last and not least, using you microphone can be very glitchy for some peoples Nintendo, which makes it very difficult for your puppy to respond to what you are saying.

Overall its a good enjoyable relaxing game, espcially if you love dogs, and just want to experience owning your own pet. Its very creative and cute, and has incredibe graphics which makes it very realisitic.You must commit your time into keeping your pet healthy and clean and free from fleas! it can become quite a chore.

Have fun ninten-addicts!

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its great

this is the best ds game ever. the grafics are great and most of the time you just have to use the stylus. first of all you have to choose your pup you have 3 choices of each breed so they might be all boys yet one is shy and small, another is big and mad and the last one might have a white stripe you never know. when you have chosen your puppy and named it say you called him alfie you would teach alfie his name. them once alfie masters his name try and teach him to sit or stand by using the stylus to postiton him the clicking the light bulb and saying the name of the trick and hey presto youve taught alfie to sit or stand. when you have played this game for a while it gets a little bit repetittive untill it feels like a chore to wash and groom alfie. but if you dont look after alfie he will run away.

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A Fantastic Game Which Every DS Owner Should Own

What Is It?Nintendogs is the first in one of the most popular games Nintendo has ever made for the Nintendo DS. Released in 2005 it is still going very strongly, becoming one of Nintendo's most popular games, with it still on the market, 3 years on. This is the Daschaund and Friends version I am reviewing, in which you can get other covers containing different breeds of dogs to pick from. Nintendogs game is compatible with the Nintendo DS (Or DS Lite) which is a handheld games console with a revolutionary touch screen pad which makes it different. It will NOT work in another Nintendo product like the Gameboy or Wii.

Why Buy It?

I got mine in HMV for my siblings birthday and I this is my second Nintendogs game now. There were a couple of reasons to buy it. First if you have always wanted a dog and can't (like if you live in urban areas, or cannot give up the time needed to have a dog etc.) then this would be a really fun game to have. Second if you just like animals in general and want something fun to do in your spare time. And third if you want a game where a lot of DS players already have then great, this is one of the DS's most top selling games, even after four years of its release.

Age Range

You could play this game if you were 10 or 100. The age range is so varied as it is really aimed for younger people, it would appeal to anyone. However what I noticed is that some parts are a little complex for say an 8 year old like where you are training your dog etc. But apart from that I would say the age range varies from young to adult. If you have a DS, not matter what your age then I can guarentee you will enjoy playing this game, it isn't just a kids game. If you have seen the advert you will see Girls Aloud playing the game!

Cover

Not something I would usually talk about, however the covers matter when it comes to Nintendog games. I got the Daschund one, it is to cute not to buy! There are 4 covers to choose from. Each are offering slightly different game play and unlockable items and essentially different breeds of dogs.They are:- Labrador- Chihuahua- Dachshund- Dalmatian (Also have this one)Now if i'm honest unless your a bit picky it doesn't really matter which cover you choose (although I think the Dachshund is the cutest one) unless you want a certain breed of dog to play with.

Breeds

This does matter a bit to me, and others for example if your favourite breed of dog was Dalmation, then you would buy the dalmation one, or if you love Labradours etc. On the Daschund one you get:- Miniature Dachshund- Golden retriever- Beagle- Pug- Siberian husky- Shih tzuYou can get other breeds if you have a friend that has another Nintendogs game using 'Bark Mode' or you can unlock them but it will take a lot of dedicated playing to get the right amount trainer points. So unless you want a pacific dog breed to play with it really doesn't matter what cover you buy, they are all the same price and graphics etc. You can also unlock other breeds while progressing through the game, so you won't be restricted to those breeds.

Starting Up

As soon as you begin the game you first get introduced to the game straight away, as you have to pick a puppy. Now you can pick a breed but you they only give you 3 puppies to choose from and they may all be male or female and they all have different personalities, so you cannot make your own dog from scratch which I think is good. So you have picked a puppy and you have to teach it its name by speaking into the microphone. So I called my first one 'Holly' as that is the name of my real dog anyway so i said Holly into the microphone. So every time I say 'Holly' into the microphone, Holly will run up to me. You have a house which you live in and you can change from 4 interiors later on in the game. You have a certain amount of money to start out with (I think around £1,500) but you have to spend money on water, food, accessories etc. So to earn money you have to enter your puppy in competitions like agility, obidence and disc catching so the better you get the more money you get and eventually you will be earning £1,000's! You can only do this however if you show your dog lots of love and take it training but don't over do it. You can go to the shops to buy collars, food, water, toys and even hats and bows! Depending on how much money you have and how much trainer points you can get different items from tennis balls to cameras, to balloons. You can even leave your dogs in the care of a dog hotel if you are a bit overwhelmed by them. But the main thing you do in the game is looking after your puppy. You do this by feeding, taking it for walks, showers, letting it interact with other dogs and basically giving it affection and giving it lots of lovely tender loving care. This game will carry on for ever if you want it to...

Addictiveness/Fun

I got this game on Christmas day and found it really fun to start with. I have only been playing it for 6 days I admit so I cannot comment on how long it will last but so far I am willingly on it everyday (along side my brain training game) so, so far it is very addictive. I find it fun but now i'm into day 6, it is becoming a little bit boring, as the novelty starts to wear off. There does seem to be a limit of game play on this now as I have completed different levels. However I really can see myself playing this for ages. I think for a while however it will loose my interest but then i'll feel guilty for leaving my little puppies to fend for themselves (which I think a lot of people will feel!) but I can sense it will start to get boring.

Does It Take Full Advantage Of The DS?

YES! A very simple answer, it uses every feature the DS has to offer. The stylus is used brilliantly as you are able to play with your dog (like throwing a frizzbee) and able to stoke it and teach it to sit. You are able to hold the lead and give it biscuits. Almost everything you can do with this game is with the stylus which is brilliant, and allows it to make it that bit realer. The microphone is used really well as you can teach your dog its name, tell it to sit, lie down etc. And you can even blow up balloons and bubbles using the microphone which is really cool. The screen LCD lets you just watch your puppies and is a break from using the stylus.

Graphics/Sound Effects

Wow, is the first word that came into my mind! DS games I find tend not to have the best graphics but I feel I was very wrong. I was very impressed by the detail for example of the dogs fur but the amount of detail in general. The backrounds are really good and clear. The dogs are very detailed and look really good and are not roughly done up. The graphics are very impressive for a DS game standards.Listening to your puppy bark is just heart warming! The sound effects are really impressive, again for DS standards. The puppies barking at each other and the sound effects of even the slightest things like throwing a ball can be heard brilliantly. It has a lot of back round music which is very clear and doesn't annoy you like it can sometimes do. Very impressed again by Nintendo's detail, well done.

Price

There is a general price of this game, which is around £24.99 from almost all good game retailers like HMV, Amazon.co.uk, Game etc. I have seen it for around £29.99 which seems to be the maximum price. All of the other covers are around the same price as well. This is a good price but it is at the top end of DS games price wise. Have a look around and if you are purchasing a DS try and get Nintendogs in a bundle, as you can get a great discount.

What's Right With It?

Well it is very unique, who would have thought that we could sit in the comfort of our living rooms, telling our own little virtual puppies to 'Sit' and 'Roll Over'. It is a very unique game and now there are a lot of copycat games out there that are cheaper but are they just as good? So it is a very original game with original ideas. Looking after very cute puppies and watching them grow into handsome dogs is just great! The amount of stuff you are able to do with them is great and for people who don't know how ot care for dogs, is a bit of an eye opener. The graphics and sound are fantastic and really add to the reality of the game. You notice that they never seem to make two dogs alike so your dog is pretty unique in the game. If you look closely at the dalmatians you'll notice that the spots are different to each dog, so each dog is pretty unique. It is fun and a real novelty to have. It is unique, long lasting and will entertain everyone!

What's Wrong With It?

Sadly it does have one or two flaws. The main one is that the story line needs to be improved as once you have trained your dogs it can actually become a chore after a while. It can loose its fun factor in about a week or 2 and becomes boring once you have figured out everything. So you leave it for a couple of weeks but then you feel guilty because your dog is starving and has fleas (yes it's virtual but you do kind of get attached) Also I admit it does leave you feeling a bit stupid, when your sitting in the living room declaring 'SIT!' Into a console and getting odd looks. But that isn't really a wrong thing but thought I should just add it. Conclusion

What a fantastic game to have! Looking after your own puppy in the easiest way possible, in the virtual world so you can just put it in your pocket. If you are a parent getting nagged for a puppy then I think this might be your safest bet, it's cheaper, easier and less hastle and will have the children (and yourself) playing on it for hours. It is for everyone to play young or old and it will have you entertained for a while but it will loose its fun factor. I would recommend this to every DS user as it is the must have game, no matter what cover they have. Super cute fun game, and would recommend it to everyone who owns a DS.

Copyright of Scotlandizdabest @ Dooyoo.co.uk

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Would be a better buy for younger audiences

Dachshund and Friends is one of the Nintendogs DS game series, the only difference between the four games being the breeds on offer in the game. Players can choose a virtual puppy, train it to do tricks, buy it accessories, play with friend's dogs via wifi and much much more. While the idea of having a virtual pet is a sweet idea and while it lasts it's entertaining, after a while the game begins to get a little bit stale and samey, so it might be a better buy for younger children as opposed to older. Another rather irksome part of the game is that it's in real time, meaning that if you don't play daily your 'dogs' forget tricks, get dirty and hungry and can start acting disobedient. However, this is not to say it wouldn't be a good game for young animal lovers, as it offers quite a nice experience of the responsibilites involved in looking after an animal.

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A Fun Addictive Game For A Few Months

Nintendogs is one of the most addictive games on the DS. You will be playing this game for months just trying to win all the competitions and getting all the items you can to play with your dogs.The game is very fun to play and ultilizes all the DS's unique features. The one only problem with the game is that after a few months you will get bored and stop playing, but this is the same with most games but the novelty of the game starts to wear off and you many never play it again.The game is a great game overall with good graphics and great AI and a great way to pass the time, also sutible for all ages and everyone will find it fun for a certain amount of time.I would recommened getting this game and the novelty wears off give it as a present or sell it on as you may not play it again.

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fun game like owning a real dog!

I got this game with my Nintendo DS and being the first game i got, it was great and I have played it loads and had great fun on it!

The game is basically like owning your own dog on your DS. You start by choosing a dog - and on this version you get the following dogs:BeagleDachshundGolden RetrieverPugHuskyShih Tzu

After picking your dog you also have a house and have to do everything for your dog. You start by giving it a name and then have to speak this through the mic and it will soon learn ts name and respond to it.You get to do everything you would do with your normal dog from taking it on walks, feeding it, buying food and toys and even washing it. And remember to always play with your dog so it will stay happy!When you go on walks its agility will improve and you can go on longer walks as well as meeting friends, finding gifts, cleaning up its poo, and even visit the local park.You can later train your dog up to compete in competitions such as obedience trials and the disc competition. With these you can earn prizes and money and buy more stuff and improve your home and upgrade it. You can even own up to 3 dogs at one time, but put others in kennels or hotels!

The gamer is very interactive as you not only talk to your dogs but also wash and tickle them using the touchscreen and they come up to the screen as if they are real life dogs!

Price:£24.99 from play.com

This is a great game which is fun for all ages and if you can't get a real dog then this is certainly a great alternative and is just like having a real dog!

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Product Details

Players can socialize their pups by walking them around the town, where they will meet neighborhood dogs, and maybe even find new toys. Trips to the park and gym offer valuable training time to prepare for agility trials and disc competitions. Over time, the pup's stamina will increase so players can explore farther and farther. Players also can interact wirelessly with their friends' Nintendogs -- they can set their DS to bark whenever another puppy is within wireless range.